A Winter's Warmth
by ChaRose
Summary: Desare. The new private tutor. His new neighbour. Oh how she reminded him of the spring. The song in her laughter, the twinkle in her eyes...she was the fresh breath of a new spring. Falling in love again wasn't something he planned on doing in fear of repeating the same fate with Kana. Could Desare help him overcome his fears, and he help hers? What is she fearing if not the God?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author Note:**_

 _ **This is a story I'm working on as a Christmas present for a gorgeous friend of mine. I don't think she's on so I'm confident in posting it here. PLEASE REVIEW!  
I'm struggling for inspiration on Chapter 3 of the ongoing story. I'm bummed. So I'm hoping if people will like this story, it will inspire me to pick up the pace and write more :D**_

"Arigatou Gozaimasu" the blonde American bowed politely to the Taxi Driver as she arrived at her destination. Standing by her luggage, the American looked up at the Sohma Estate. She was greeted by a large wooden gate that concealed the buildings within. Standing on her tiptoes, she craned her neck in an attempt to survey her surroundings that will soon be her accommodation. Failing to see anything, she opted to calling out.

"Hello?" She called out in Japanese. Her breath forming a fog from the negative temperatures of a Japanese winter.

Hatori Sohma had woken to a typical morning. A cigarette and coffee to go as he barely had time to stop and have a proper breakfast. His first appointment for the day was the daily consultation with their god; Akito Sohma.

Carrying the coffee around the house with him, Hatori entered a separate part of his house that was his office. Here, he organised Akito's medical files, briefing himself on her prognosis and latest conditions. Snapping the file shut, he took one long mouthful of coffee before placing the half drunk beverage on the desk. He snatched his white medical coat off the hanger and shrugged it on. Glancing outside, he knew that everyone would be in for a very cold day today. He snatched his woollen scarf from the hanger and wrapped it snugly around his neck to protect himself from the harsh cold air. It would do him no good if the Sohma Family physician were to become ill, proving to be completely incompetent to perform his medical duties and fulfil his responsibilities as physician.

Rugged up warm, the doctor retrieved his medical bag and firmly tucked Akito's file under his arm as he locked the door to his residence, making his way down to the Sohma Main House.

"Hello…?" a voice carried out through the cold brisk winds. Frowning, the doctor followed the direction of the voice. He opened the gate and was greeted by a foreigner.

Hearing the gate open, Desare whirled around and was greeted by a man in a white coat. She gasped at how handsome this stranger was for a Japanese man, though her gasp could easily be mistaken for a gasp in surprise. "Ah! Hello." She bowed respectfully.

Hatori bowed curtly "Can I help you?" he asked coldly to the stranger.

"Ah, my name is Desare Bellamy. I have an interview with a Mr. Akito Sohma for the position of the private English tutor." She knew she was rambling, but being in the presence of such a man who's occupation precedes him. It was obvious to Desare he was of medical profession from his white doctor's coat.

The doctor frowned, he had no recollection of being informed about his patient interviewing a stranger at such an early time in the morning. He hadn't even given Akito her medical consultation yet. But then again, why should Hatori be informed of such business, for wasn't he nothing but a doctor to their head of the family? He was sure the God neglected to tell her own lover, Shigure, what was going on.

"I was not aware that the head of the house has interviews lined up today."

Desare's cheeks went pink with embarrassment. _'Oh…this man doesn't know what's going on. Isn't that bizarre?_ She thought to herself. She certainly didn't want to inconvenience the doctor in any way, "Perhaps I ought to reschedule for another time?" she suggested to him.

A cold gust of wind blew through the air, making Desare shiver and hug herself tightly in an attempt to keep warm. She was wearing a high neck but skin-tight woollen jumper, but that seemed to be proving useless against the cold.

"No. If Akito Sohma has requested an appointment with you, I'd highly recommend to not reschedule as such a forward request to the head of the house will come across rude. Such an opportunity is rare for 'outside people'" Hatori spoke to her coldly.

Desare nodded at the man's suggestion. "I just didn't want to cause anybody any trouble." She partially rambled. Not knowing, just how troubled this family truly is. And what on earth did he meant by 'outside people'? That certainly peaked her interest in her never-ending curiosity, but she didn't question it out loud to this man.

This woman before him reminded him of his previous lover, Kana. She was a very humble and gentle being, but fate had intervened and given him no other option but to let her go.

He pushed this painful memory aside as he focused on the situation this girl has presented.

"I'll show you to the Main House." He offered as he held the gate open for her.

"Ah. Thank you so much." She bowed respectfully before wheeling her suitcase in to the estate grounds. She stopped abruptly, causing Hatori to almost bump into her. Luckily he managed to stop himself just in time. It would have been another problematic situation to deal with. "Oh my goodness gracious me!" Desare gasped aloud. It was like another village hidden away.

"The Main House is this way." Hatori motioned with his hand, pulling Desare out of her thoughts. Hatori wasn't one for idle chit-chat. He was a man who would rather address a problem straight at hand and oversee it with a quick outcome.

Approaching what Desare assumed was the 'Main House'; she admired it at every angle. It was an exquisite building, she couldn't even form words to describe the beauty of it. She had never seen anything like this in Japan. Her eyes cast from the beautiful building to an even more sight of beauty that presented itself before her – the traditional Japanese gardens. Oh how she has fallen in love with them instantly. This really was a beautiful sight! How could such a cold and miserable man not smile at what beauty he is surrounded by. Although Desare was hardly ever surrounded by beauty and her reactions were a little emphasized than the average person who has experienced more life than her.

Clearing his throat, Hatori held the door open for her and motioned to her to enter the premises. He was a little impatient at her for staying outside in the cold brisk atmosphere, and slightly in fear for keeping their God waiting. "I believe the head of the house is waiting for you. Let's not keep him waiting any longer." He told her, making her head snap up out of her thoughts.

Desare's bright, curious eyes looked up at the cold ones that were glaring at her. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to keep anybody waiting. I was just admiring your gardens. They're quite unique. We don't have anything like this back in America." She explained as she walked over to the Main House and walked inside with Hatori behind her.

"Doctor Sohma! I believe Akito is expecting you." One of the Maids greeted him.

"Yes he is. However, I believe he is also expecting a possible Tutor for Momiji." He replied. Desare stood between the two, watching how the conversation was unfolding between the two professions. "Ah. You must be the American!" the Maid said. Desare didn't know whether to take offense the Maid's tone of voice or not. Instead she opted to remain positive and proud about who she was, "Yes I am. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" the American bowed in respect. The maid just looked at her and bowed quickly before walking away to inform Akito.

Desare stood awkwardly next to Hatori as they waited for the maid to return. She glanced sideways at the doctor and studied him quietly for the first time. _He's so cold for someone so handsome!_ Being a doctor, she would have thought he'd at least have some 'people skills' but he seemed to be the kind that didn't beat around the bush and would rather get straight to the heart of the matter.

Completely opposite on what Desare's thoughts were about, Hatori's remained on his profession. He thought back to his last visit with Akito and how she was, medically – which was not good. He had hoped for Desare's sake that she would be in a far better condition today. He didn't want to have to deal with Akito's aggression with a stranger mixed in betwixt it all.

"Akito will see you now Ms. Bellamy." The maid snapped both adults out of their thoughts.

 _Okay. Here's my chance._ She thought to herself as she hugged her portfolio to her chest and followed the maid. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Thank you for your hospitality Doctor Sohma." She said politely, receiving a shocked expression from the male but looked away and continued to follow the maid.

Hatori was quite shocked that the young woman had even thanked him for his 'hospitality' (if you could even call it that!). He didn't think he offered much hospitality. Tohru was one who ought to be praised on hospitality. Watching the retreating back of the two women, Hatori tapped his fingers against his file in annoyance before making his way to the kitchen to await his turn with the God.

There, he made himself a cup of coffee as he didn't get to finish his own, and opened the file that contained Akito's medical reports. He updated himself on her latest condition; last visit she was running a fever and low in her iron.

The maid came back within 15 minutes with Desare, whom was beaming. The Doctor looked up from his medical file, "Akito will see you now." She said to Hatori. She turned to Desare and said, "I will have another Maid escort you to your new residence."

As Hatori stood up and gathered his things, he saw Desare bow and happily reply, "Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity!" The maid smiled at her flattering compliment. Obviously maids and servants of the like barely got any recognition, so for this maid, it was rather welcoming.

Waiting for the two to disappear from his sight, he stood up and made his way to the God's room. Lifting his hand up to the door, he gently rapped on the wooden door and waited for permission to proceed. "Enter" came the command.

Hatori walked in and saw Akito slouched by the window, with it wide open. "Akito." Hatori bowed politely before making his way over to the god.

"Sitting by the window like that will only aggravate your health, especially on a cold winters day like today." He told her. He watched as she turned away from the window and slowly walked over to him, brushing her hand over his heart. "Like you Hatori. Cold as snow." She repeated her words from the past. His eyes widened in hurt but he soon regained his posture. Walking over to the window, he securely shut it. _Yes. Cold as snow. The spring that once melted my heart is now gone._ He thought to himself. "How are you feeling today Akito?" he asked.

The god shrugged. "I'm confined to this room, I have no strength to move around as much as I would prefer. So your question of how I am feeling is rather stupid, don't you think? Do you think I'm happy? No! I cannot do what I please for my health always gets in the way." Akito began to go on a temper tantrum, but Hatori soon calmed her down with ease. "I saw Momiji's new tutor." He changed the subject, trying to maintain a decent conversation where she wasn't complaining about every little thing. He knelt down and retrieved his usual medical items such as the stethoscope, thermometer etc.

Akito let out a snort. "She's far too optimistic for her own good. Reminds me of Kana."

How Akito enjoyed putting salt over other people's wounds. Hatori did not respond to her bite. "Perhaps optimism isn't always a bad thing." He said as he placed the stethoscope in his ears and placed the silver plate on her chest. She breathed as routinely required. "Hmph. I've never had optimistic thoughts. I wouldn't know. You were in love once. Were you ever optimistic?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Luckily she asked another question before he could even contemplate on how he should answer. "What do you think of the girl?"

with Akito's chest completely clear of any bacteria present, Hatori placed his stethoscope back in his medical bag. Assuming she was talking about Momiji's new tutor, he thought about it for a moment. "I wouldn't know. I didn't see her credentials. She seems nice enough." Akito's eyes narrowed in anger. Nice!? "You wouldn't be thinking of falling in love with her? Especially as she's so much like Kana?" that remark stabbed at his heart and Akito was satisfied when she saw the hurt in his eyes. "I am here as a physician. Should she need my help, it would be on a professional relationship only. Nothing more." His answer seemed to satisfy her as she sat back against her pillows.

"Are you taking your medication?" he asked.

"Yes!" she hissed out.

Bowing once more to her, he clipped up the Medical bag and stood up. "Your lungs are clear and you seem to be in stronger spirits today. I don't think you are suffering any illness at this present stage. Should you feel a cold come on, please send for me. I fear you may possibly come down with Pneumonia from sitting by the cold window."

"Hmph." Was the reply that the Doctor received. "You may go." She allowed him his leave.

With that task done in little under half an hour, Hatori made his way back to his own residence. Where he was greeted by his now new next door neighbour. "Doctor Sohma!" the blonde greeted happily with a wave of her arm. "Look's like I'll be your new next door neighbour!" she smiled at him. He nodded at her greeting. "Ms. Bellamy. You should go inside before you catch a cold." He told her as he walked up his pathway. "Oh, just call me Desare." She said cheerfully as she followed his suit and walked up her own pathway leading to her residence. "Hatori." He told in return before opening his door and walking in his residence.

Closing the door behind him, he leant against the wooden frame. Placing a hand to his forehead where he lightly gripped his bangs, he sighed. He had never seen anyone with that much happiness; not since Kana. And it was bringing back painful memories for him.

Regaining his posture, he pulled himself together and continued to his office as he began the usual routine duties expected of the family physician.

As Desare walked inside her residence, she looked around and breathed in deeply. Now was her opportunity to set up her new home. Running her hand over a sealed box, she thought back to this morning's events. How that Doctor seemed so cold and distant…as though he was pained by a traumatic past. _A man of mystery_ , she thought to herself. "Hmmm." There were so many boxes to unpack! She didn't know where to start!

And so begins the new neighbours.

One who possessed the same happiness of a past; And the other full of mystery.


	2. Chapter 2

The Next morning, being a Saturday morning, there wasn't much Hatori could do as a Doctor. He wasn't rostered on for the hospital, and he had no patients appointed for the day. It was the first time in a long time he had a free Saturday.

Waking up from the sunlight seeping through the cracks of the curtains, Hatori sat up in bed and retrieved his watch from the bedside table. Looking at the glass face of it, he saw it was 6:00am. Old habits never die. It wasn't a surprise he was up this early in the morning.

Ruffling his hair, he pulled back the covers and walked over the shower where he refreshed himself for the morning.

Even though it was a weekend, Hatori still dressed in dress-shirt and dress-pants. Though he went with a more casual look and ditched the tie.

Walking around the house, he opened the curtains and the windows. He knew today would be a warm, winter day – as they were slowing changing from winter to spring.

Desare's morning was like no other. As soon as the rays of the sun hit her eyes, she groaned in protest. It was too early. But the sun wouldn't let her sleep. She groggily sat up in bed and rubbed her tired eyes. She sat there for a moment or so as she allowed her body to adjust to waking up. Looking over to her clock, she moaned in annoyance. "Awwhhh…'S'too early!" She sighed and got up to take her shower. She always felt refreshed after a shower.

For today, she chose a warm black sweater than emphasised the outline of her breasts and some loose fitting jeans that complimented the slight curves of her bum and thighs. She let her curly hair pool around her shoulders. She touched her morning face up with a little bit of makeup and stood back to assess herself in the mirror. She wasn't overly satisfied with her looks – having been told she was never pretty enough, but the face staring back at her was average looking, and would pass to be displayed in public.

Turning away from the mirror and walking out of the bathroom, she walked to her messy kitchen and opened the blinds to the window. Looking out of it, she saw Hatori opening his own blinds. His eyes locked with hers in brief surprise. She waved happily at him, to which she received a curt nod before walking away. She wasn't surprised she received a less than happy greeting from him. And she didn't mind. Everyone is different. But she couldn't help but wonder why he was up so early. Did he have a super early patient? Or did he wake up because he was used to do waking up so early?

Turning her head to look at the mess of the kitchen; boxes everywhere. She decided she really needed a coffee. And since the thought came into her head, she soon smelt the fresh brew of coffee beans. Biting her lip, she almost giggled like a school girl. Should she go over to Hatori's and have a coffee with him? No. That would be rude. She would never invite herself over.

Sighing in frustration that she couldn't have her morning coffee, she decided to go for a walk. She didn't feel like unpacking boxes today.

Stepping outside, she breathed in the warm air. Looking around, she wondered where to start her walk. She decided to take the route opposite of Hatori's residence. She would do a loop around and come past Hatori's house on her way back. With that in mind, she set her legs in motion and took a morning stroll around her new residence area. She admired the different sets of Gardens everyone had, suited to their own personal taste. There was nothing like this back in America.

She soon found herself walking outside Hatori's residence. Walking past, she looked up and saw him standing outside, overlooking his gardens in deep thought.

"Hatori!" Desare waved her arm excitedly as she grabbed his attention.

Hatori had taken his coffee outside, enjoying the cool but warm air in the quiet tranquillity of the morning. Staring at the mini garden he had, he thought back to memories of Kana showing him how to maintain certain plants. It was all because of that too-happy young woman he met yesterday that he was thinking back to Kana. He heard a shrill "Hatori!" interrupt the tranquil moment. Turning his head, his mind instantly grimaced. _And speak of the devil._

He bowed politely, holding his coffee firmly as he did so. "Desare. One would assume you would be spending your time unpacking your luggage."

She smiled as Hatori greeted her and conversed with her, she took it as a sign that he welcomed her over. Whether he did or not, she would never know. She only went on her gut feeling. Walking over, she laughed softly. "It would help if I knew which box had my kettle in! Without my morning caffeine, I become the exact replica of a Zombie." She now stood beside him.

He was taken by surprise at her laugh. It was soft, and beautiful. It matched her smiling eyes. If she were a Zombie, like she said, she would definitely be the most beautiful Zombie he ever saw. "You don't look like a zombie, therefore I believe I don't have anything to fear."

Even though she didn't think he fully complimented her, she still blushed and looked down.

"Even better.." he started as she looked back up at him. "I have a kettle. Would you like to join me for another Coffee?" His heart was in the right place, his mind was elsewhere: _Hatori, what do you think you're doing? You're going to get close to her. And you know what happens when you get close to someone? Remember the pain you put Kana through because of you?_

Her happy voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I would love to! Thank you so much!"

He waved her appreciation off with a swipe of his hand before motioning her to come inside.

Hatori turned his back to Desare before any pain could be seen in his eyes, as he led the way into the kitchen. Unfortunately for Hatori, Desare did see the pain in his eyes. _I wonder what happened to cause him so much grief? Did someone die? Did I say or do something to trigger those memories?_ Desare's mind was reeling with possibilities and scenarios, but her cheerful demeanour on the outside covered up those thoughts.

Stepping inside, she followed him to the kitchen and let her eyes look around his house. "Wow. You're house is very neat and tidy!" she commented, receiving a look from Hatori, "Ah! I mean, most men I know don't bother keeping their houses tidy. So it's kind of refreshing to see a man with a tidy house!" Desare knew she was rambling but she couldn't help it. She didn't like the silence. Talking covered up her nervousness.

"No one has ever commented on my residence. Thank you." Hatori said politely, obviously not knowing how he should respond to such a compliment.

"Tea or Coffee?" he asked her, looking over his shoulder as he held a mug in his hand.

"Coffee please. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked him, holding her hands together, unsure if she was allowed to sit down at the table…she didn't know what to do! Being in the presence of such a man was overpowering her sensibility!

"I'm perfectly capable of making a simple coffee by myself, thankyou."

Desare's mouth opened in surprise, she didn't mean to offend him by suggesting he wasn't capable! "No! I-" but she was cut off when she saw him turn and his lips curled up slightly.

"Oh. You're joking." She laughed at herself, and at him. It was a poor attempt at a joke, but she welcomed the less iciness from him.

Hatori handed her the mug. He didn't mean to joke around with her. It just sort of…happened. There was something about this woman that just made him want to relax. But he couldn't. It wasn't proper and he would only go down that same narrow path he went down with Kana.

"Take a seat." He offered her, motioning towards the table.

"Oh. Thank you!" She said politely as she sat down and took a grateful sip of her coffee, welcoming the sweet yet savoury taste of her morning beverage.

She watched as Hatori sat down and took a gulp of his he newly refilled coffee.

"So, you're a doctor? How long have you been one?" she asked him, trying to make some conversation between the two; that, and well…she was generally interested in this man.

"For quite a long time. My Father was a doctor, and I just followed in his footsteps."

"But did you WANT to become a doctor?"

With his hands wrapped around the warmth of his mug and looked down into the coffee-brown liquid, contemplating how he should answer her question. He had to be careful in his choice of words as he didn't want anything to slip about his family's secret.

He wasn't forced, per se, to become a doctor. More so that the 'gift' he was possessed with was thrust upon him.

"As the famous saying by Shakespeare went; _**"Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. And others have greatness thrust upon them."**_ I'm quite content with my profession and I certainly wouldn't have it any other way."

Desare smiled softly at his answer. She truly admired that he wasn't like any other ordinary male. He had taste and he had class. But then she thought about herself. She wasn't anything great. She was a nobody that people used. "My profession is no where near as great as yours." Was all she said.

"Your profession may not share the same strength as mine, however you do make a difference in peoples lives. As I recall, you're an English tutor, correct?" once he received a small nod from her in confirmation, he continued. "You give the ability for others to learn another language and for them to experience another culture. A former student of yours could be in America or Australia right now with an occupation such as a language interpreter for the police department or a Judge. The honour of such a profession they have chosen is because you gave them that ability to proceed further in life. No, I don't think your profession is of less value than mine."

Desare sat there in dumb silence. She never viewed her teaching in that aspect. She could have just melted hearing his words. Through his ice cold demeanour, he truly was the most kind-hearted person she could ever meet.

Both adults became silent until the front door banged open and a sing-song, "HA'RI! We're hoo-oome!" and a "Tori!"

Hatori locked eyes with Desare momentarily before looking past her shoulder towards the kitchen doorway. He wasn't looking forward to this. He wanted the English tutor to know as little of the family as possible; but it would be hard with these two hooligans hanging around.

Not to mention, the crude remarks they would drop once they saw he had a female guest who obviously wasn't his patient.

"I'm in the kitchen." He sighed out as he waited for the two other adults to appear.

"Ha'ri! I—oh.. I didn't realise you had a guest." Said the man with dark hair as he walked in the kitchen and leant against the sink behind Hatori. "What a pretty thing she is! Is she you're version of a 'Tohru' because you can't have one?" Hatori remained silent for a moment as he allowed his temper to cool at bay. Not only was he annoyed, he was embarrassed as well. "Oh! What's that? You WERE thinking of a 'Tohru' version for yourself! I knew it! Oh, you naughty, naughty, man you!" the dark haired man giggled immaturely.

"No. I was simply too amazed by your stupidity to say anything." Came the quick yet harsh reply from Hatori.

Desare almost spat in her cup as she took a gulp of coffee as Hatori finally spoke to the man.

"Pay no mind to those two, my ravishing princess! We've all been friends since highschool! And of course, he hasn't learnt any manners since then either. I am Ayame Sohma. Cousin of Hatori, and Shigure; which is this man here!" Ayame said as gaily danced over to Shigure.

"Oh no! Hatori is quite the gentleman!" she was quick to defend his lack of manners – she never thought was being rude at all by not introducing them. Standing up she bowed politely. Her blonde curls falling around her shoulders. "I'm Desare Bellamy. English Tutor of Momiji. I live next door and had no coffee this morning. Hatori was kind enough to allow me my morning beverage."

"An honour to make your acquaintance, Mon Cherie." Ayame bowed dramatically.

"Indeed." Shigure curtsied somewhat.

She turned to Hatori and bowed to him specifically. "Thank you so much for the morning coffee and the company. I might just have the energy to unpack my boxes today! Please excuse me."

"I'll walk you to the door."

As the two left the kitchen, they left behind his cousins who shared a look with each other. It was a look of concern and hope. Concern that Hatori will hurt himself further, yet hope that he finally had gotten over Kana and able to move on. He had been long out of love for quite a while and led a lonely life since then.

"It's probably a wise decision you leave now. They can be rather overwhelming.

And intrusive – I do apologise for their sudden appearance this morning."

She laughed softly as she stood outside his verandah. "Oh no, that's okay. They're actually quite adorable. But I must thank you for this morning. It was nice. I hope we can do it again sometime…?" she bit her lip, as she practically asked for another date-like meeting from him. Oh how it was role-reversal.

"Yes. That would be nice. Until next time." He bid her good day and watched her walk away. Turning back into his residence, he prepared himself for the onslaught of his cousins.

Desare entered her house and closed the door behind her. She placed a hand over her heart, which was beating quite wildly against her chest. She never asked anyone out before! "Oh my." She said aloud. She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly; as she adjusted to this new nervous feeling – like she was a school girl asking her crush out on a date. Sighing, she scanned around the room of her many boxes. No time like the present to start unpacking. And so, her day begun.

"She's cute." Was the first thing Hatori heard as he walked back in the kitchen to find his two cousins and best friends making themselves at home with a mug each of coffee.

"We were merely having coffee. Nothing more will become of our interaction."

He told them sternly as he sat back down at the table and resumed his coffee. He couldn't help but miss that female interaction he had with Kana. No matter how hard he had tried to close off those painful memories, they would always be there.

"But you're more than willing to play Doctor, aren't you 'Tori?" Ayame asked half serious but half joking.

"Should she require a Doctor's perspective on her health, then yes, I will admit I will be her likely candidate; seeing as how she lives next door. As I said before, I have only just made her acquaintance and nothing more will become of it." His green eyes glared at the snake.

"You know, Ha'ri.." Shigure started in a serious manner, one Hatori only heard every so often. When he heard it, he always allowed the Dog his full attention. "There's nothing to be ashamed of if you want to move on with another woman. Kana would want you to be happy."

Hatori looked down at his coffee, "I heard she had gotten married…?"

Shigure and Ayame shared a look, their eyes asking _Should we tell him?_

Ayame was the first to speak. "Yes. I wanted you to steal her away from her idiot fiancé and you could live happily together for the rest of your lives. I would have told you this sooner but Shigure stopped me from doing so!"

"No. It's over between Kana and I. I wish her nothing but success in her future endeavours and happiness in her now found love." Pain flicked in his eyes but he avoided his gaze from his two cousins by staring down at his coffee, as though the coffee-brown liquid was quite fascinating.

"You're much more forgiving than I am!" Ayame said seriously, causing Hatori to look up and listen to what he had to say. "It's one of the qualities I admire about you…but it's also the reason why you suffer so much more than you have to."

"It appears so."

A new love. That could be more than Hatori could realistically hope for. That could be more than any of those cursed with the Zodiac could hope for. And when he thought about, wasn't it enough that he had a love like Kana's? If only for a short while? Is that not more than he already deserved?

For now, the best thing he could do is keep watch over the others and hope that they wont come to know the same suffering as he has.

As the Mabudachi Trio sat in silence for a while, thinking about the past, Hatori frowned, wondering why they were over so early. "You're frowning. Is something upsetting you?" Shigure asked, keeping a close eye on his friend, as he was concerned they had dredged up memories for him.

"No, I'm just wondering why you two are over here so early." He told the dog as he pushed his now empty mug aside.

"Can't we visit an old friend?" Shigure grinned sheepishly.

"You may. But there's always a reason behind most visits. What is it this time that you had to drag Ayame along as well?"

Shrugging, Shigure gave Hatori his answer, "We just wanted to check out the new English Tutor. We heard she was American…and well…you know what they say about American women."

"Why is it that whenever you open your mouth, it reeks of something illegal?"

Shigure laughed and stood up, "Well, Aya? We have a busy day ahead of. I don't want even one minute to be wasted away when I'm with you."

"Oh 'Gure! I know what you mean, mon amore!" ayame replied with a dramatic flair.

"Je'Taime!" Shigure mirrored Ayame's flirtatious flair.

"Don't you two ever stop?" Hatori asked lightly as he cleared the mugs away and followed his cousins to his front door.

Ayame had bid him good day before leaving and heading towards the gates.

Shigure turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making Hatori to narrow his eyes in concern. "Shigure, being serious is quite uncharacteristic of you."

"Hatori. Listen to an old friend for once, eh? Don't close your heart off completely." He gave Hatori's shoulder a squeeze and turned to leave before turning back to look over his shoulder. "Oh, and wear a condom!" Shigure laughed as he ran off after Ayame.

Hatori sighed and walked back inside. He thought about what to do and looked over to a single photograph in the distant room. Kana. He always worked under the watchful eyes of Kana. Sighing, he knew he had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. And why not complete it whilst he had the day off? Walking over this office, he yanked his office chair out from underneath the desk and sat down. Positioning himself at his desk, he reached for his files and opened one of them, beginning his paperwork. A nice warm breeze filtered in through his open door to the gardens where he had first met Desare this morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author: I'm beginning to struggle on this story so updates will be slow. Sorry**

 **CHAPTER THREE**

It wasn't until Desare's stomach rumbled loudly, that she looked at her watch and realised what the time was. "Lunch time! Thank you stomach!" she giggled to herself as she went about preparing a basic lunch. Just sandwhiches and coffee. It was all she had until she did a proper shop. For now, she was just living off the necessesities. "Hmm, I wonder if Hatori will take a lunch break?"

Ever the curious mouse she was, she stood up from her crouched position and walked over to her kitchen window, where she could see Hatori's kitchen window opposite hers. She felt a surge of disappointment at seeing his kitchen blinds closed. To her, it was a sign that he was either busy or he didn't want to be disturbed. Or both. She understood, of course. Him being a doctor and all. But deep down, she wanted to spend more time with him, and get to know this Doctor who holds so much mystery.

Her stomach whined for some food. Sighing, she turned her back to the window and made her way to the family room. It was the only room that was currently housing chairs. It was either that or she ate in her bedroom – but that made her felt like one of those deeply lonely people and she didn't want to feel like that.

Curling her feet underneath her, she sat comfortably in one of her chairs and ate quietly. And alone.

It wasn't until 3pm that Hatori stopped for a break. He wasn't hungry, but he could feel that his body was getting weary from completing hours of paperwork wihtout rest. He was low on coffee and in need of a smoke. It can be said that for a doctor, Hatori's eating habits were irregular. But he knows his limits, and refuses to become ill. For who would become the family physician if Hatori was bed-ridden? This being said, Should anyone even dare question his smokoing habits?

Standing abruptly, had caused Hatori's chair to wheel back and swivel in its spot. Discarding the chair altogether, Hatori made his way to the kitchen where he put on a pot of coffee to boil whilst he allowed himself a break for a smoke.

Walking out on his back balcony, Hatori lit up a cigeratte and inhaled the muchly needed substance. He slowly exhaled as he looked around his garden; Except there wasn't much garden as the snow had taken over. Snow. Kana.

" _I knew it would snow today!"_

Her soft voice filtered into Hatori's mind. Why the hell was he thinking so much about her? Was it because the girl next door had reminded him so much of her, of Kana? Snuffing out his cigarette and thoughts, he returned back to the kitchen to focus on making his coffee.

She reminded him so much of Kana, and yet, was also different to her individual being. It made Hatori want to discover more about her, learn more about her. But lifting his hand to entangle his fingers in his bangs, which covered his damaged eye, had reminded him of the consequences of becoming close to another woman. It was utterly impossible as long as he carries the curse. He had to keep this woman at a distance and train his mind to think of her as the annoying neighbour. Nothing more. It was a cold decision to do. _"You're as a cold as ice, Hatori."_ Were the words Akito had used to describe him. And how true they had become.

With Akito's voice sitting at the back of his mind, he finished making his coffee and once again, made his way back to his office. Taking a gulp of the much needed scalding liquid, he placed the mug down on the desk away from his paperwork, and continued with what he had left. With no patients on the weekend (unless it was an emergency), Hatori used this time to catch up on some overdue paperwork. Most needed filing under the appropriate categories. Hatori made it a point to never fall behind on medical reports themselves as it could easily cost someone there life – and that was something the Doctor couldn't afford.

And paperwork was always a good excuse to avoid people. Namely one woman.

With sunset falling, Desare had managed to unpack most of her kitchen (her first priority was locating her kettle!) and the start of her tutoring utensils. To be disappointed that she hadn't seen Hatori today was a slight understatement. He was a doctor so she could only assume he was busy doing doctor stuff, paperwork, things like that. She didn't really know what Doctors actually do other than prescribe medicine to their patients. And there was a conversation starter, she made a mental not to herself.

With the night falling, she pulled out a frozen meal and defrosted it in the microwave.

While waiting for that 15 minutes, she continued to unpack boxes and place items in their respective rooms around the house. She had hoped to have her house in order once during the current weekend so she could invite Hatori over. It would be her way of returning the favour of when he had her over for a cuppa. He could have easily gave her some coffee and sent her on her merry way; but he didn't. He asked if she wanted to sit with and so she did. Until his cousins showed up. Desare giggled to herself. They were a funny pair.

 _-BEEP. BEEP. BEEP-_ came the ending signal from the microwave. Her dinner was ready! Her hunger showed through the excitement of having some food as she bounced from her living room to the kitchen. Grabbing some cutlery that was sitting on the bench waiting to be placed in its respective place in the drawer, she took her dinner to her sofa and sat down with her legs curled underneath her and her food resting on the armchair. Sure she could sit at the table, but it was only her tonight. Why not enjoy a much needed meal in comfort? She earned this moment. She earned the right to do whatever she wanted in her own home.

" _Daddy?" a young Desare asked her father, holding her plate steadily in her hands. "Can we have a TV Dinner tonight?" the innocent young girl asked him. 'TV Dinners' consisted of eating dinners on the couch whilst watching television. It was a treat for Desare as per any household in America, it was only polite to eat at the table with other members and to converse over dinner; not ignore each other and watch television._

" _And what would I get in return?" asked the male figure that she was meant to call her 'father'. And she did. He just...he wasn't like the other dads._

" _Um..whatever you want?" she squeaked out quietly. She knew she should have just stayed sitting at the table and not have asked. If she had just kept quiet and eaten at the table, she wouldn't have to suffer through what was to come. But she really wanted to watch her favourite movie – Cinderella. And it was on television. Unfortunately, she wasn't lucky enough to own her own copy of Cinderella._

 _Her dad chuckled and affectionately patted her bum. "Sure, kiddo. Whatever ya want."_

" _Thank you!" Desare carefully walked to the loungeroom and sat down in front of the TV and began her treat of a 'TV Dinner'._

 _It had been hard for Desare when her mom died when she was so young. She was only raised by her father. Even though she was only the young age of 5, she could already tell that her dad was struggling. And it was up to her to make sure that she would always be her mommy to him. That's what he told her. And that's why, after watching Cinderella, she has to make sure he's happy._

No. Desare would not allow a past memory to ruin everything for her. She was not that young girl anymore. She was Desare Bellamy. A young woman who earned her degree in teaching. Who earned the right to sit in front of the Television in comfort and to eat her dinner without a care in the world. Memories. That's all they were. They hurt the past, not the future.

Eating only half her dinner, she had suddenly lost her appetite. Perhaps she wasn't as hungry as she thought she was? Sighing, she forced herself off the comfort of her sofa and walked on weary and tired feet to the kitchen where she dumped her food on the counter before walking to the bedroom. She needed a shower. She felt dirty. She had unpacked a lot today and had built up a sweat. But the memory only made her feel even more dirtier. It was nothing that a hot shower could fix.

It was dark out, which meant it could only be late. Hatori glanced over at his clock as he shut the last file of paperwork. The clock read 6:30pm. He really should fix himself some dinner.

Part of him wondered if Desare had dinner herself. He stopped himself from acting upon his question by frowning and pushing all thoughts of her aside. He would not allow her to be on his mind. He couldn't afford it to put his family through the turmoil of watching his suffer. He knew he had hurt his family by distancing himself since Kana. Heaven knows what will happen if he fell in love again and repeated the same thing.

Closing his file, satisfied that all his paperwork was finally complete, he reached over and placed the file accordingly in its respective place in the filing cabinet. Shutting it close with a small bang, he stood up and stretched, working the muscles in his back by rolling his shoulders. He felt the aching tension fade a little. Straightening up his desk, he left it spotlessly clean for the following morning.

Walking out of his office, he switched the lights off and closed the door behind him. A days job done. Sighing, he contemplated on what to have for dinner. Opening his fridge, he hit jackpot. He had leftover Teriyaki Chicken. That will do. Placing it the microwave to heat, he looked out his window as he waited. He saw Desare's house engulfed in darkness. Perhaps she had an early night? A wise decision that he would soon follow in her footsteps by having an early night himself.

-BEEP. BEEP. BEEP- came the shrill ending of the microwave, which pulled Hatori out of his thoughts. Dropping his hand away from the curtain, he gathered some cutlery and took his meal out of the microwave. Placing it on the table, he sat down and quietly ate as he retrieved a nearby medical book and read some of the latest surgical techniques.

On his days off, Hatori worked at the local hospital as a surgeon. Akito only allowed this because it would benefit her by Hatori having access to the latest medicinal supplies and techniques. If Hatori wasn't the family physician, his life would consist of practically living at the hospital.

Having finished his meal, he quickly washed his dishes and left them on the sink to dry overnight before retiring for the night with a quick shower.

Desare, on the other hand, was not having 'an early night' as Hatori had thought.

Right now, the poor girl had been overwrought with memories that she couldn't control. She had scrubbed at her skin in the shower until it was red raw and she could scrub no more. Now, she just sat in the shower with her leg held closely to her chest, the piping hot water cascading down upon her. Dirty. She was dirty and she could never become clean.

Fifteen minutes later she finally switched the water off and got ready for bed. And her nightly ritual began; scared to fall asleep knowing nightmares would plague her through the night.

With the next day starting, Hatori got up early to start his day with his usual coffee and cigarette before leaving.

Shrugging his doctors coat on and clipping his credentials to his chest, he grabbed his go-to medical bag in case of emergencies. Grabbing his keys, he locked and closed the door behind him before making his way to his car. Unlocking the car, he placed his medical bag on the passenger seat and sat down in the driver's seat where he turned the key ignition and the car roared softly to life. Reversing out of his driveway, Hatori made his way to Kaibara Hospital.

The minute he stepped into the hospital he was bombarded with files that contained contents to brief him on impending surgeries. Dropping his medical kit on his office seat, he threw his scrubs on and made his way to the surgery department where he would begin the long and thorough process of prepping himself and his patient for surgery.

And thus began the day's work.

Desare woke up like a zombie in the morning. Her body ached all over from moving boxes and furniture everywhere. She was sleep deprived from nightmares throughout the night. She needed coffee. Now. Groaning, she stretched the achiness from her muscles before padding out of her room and down to the kitchen where the kettle was sitting on the bench waiting for her.

Flicking it on, she got her coffee ready and waited for the water to boil. She looked over at the time ticking away on the clock. 7:00am. That was way too early for Desare to be up! Had she known it was that early, she would have stayed in bed. Nevermind, she was up now. With the kettle flicking itself off, she poured the hot water in her cup and made her coffee strong.

Grabbing her jacket from her coat rack, she shrugged it on and walked outside, coffee in hand, in hopes to see Hatori on his front porch having a coffee. Her heart sunk a little when she didn't see him. _He must already be working_ she thought to herself as she took a sip of the scolding hot liquid that would soon awaken her senses.

Having finished her coffee, she walked back inside and deposited the empty mug in the sink before walking down to the bathroom where she would take a shower and commence her days activities of unpacking the last of her boxes and organise Momiji's tutoring paperwork.

As the day progressed, both neighbours became busier in their confined spaces. Hatori, elbow deep in someone's body and Desare, elbow deep in paperwork.

It wasn't until 5:30pm that Desare dropped her pen and sighed. She had done everything! Her boxes were all unpacked, her house was put together and Momiji's tutoring paperwork was all organised. It felt like such a relief to know that she could start the Monday week off organised, refreshed and ready to go.

Hatori, on the other hand had just pulled in his driveway. One of his patients had some heavy bleeding which caused it to squirt onto Hatori's scrubs and through to his clothing, which he wasn't too happy about. It meant that he had to throw an expensive vest and shirt away.

Stepping out of the car, he heard a squeal of "Hatori! Oh my god!" and footsteps running towards him.

Desare heard his car pull up and was a little bit too eager to greet him than a normal person. Standing on her porch, she watched as he got out of his car only to notice blood on his clothing. Completely forgetting that he was a doctor and probably had some emergency causing the blood to be splattered on him, her mind went straight for the worst case scenarios. "Hatori! Oh my god!" she cried out as she ran to him.

He placed a hand in the air between the space of her body and his. He couldn't risk her bumping into him at any point. "You'll kill yourself running." The doctor sternly joked with her. Of course she couldn't kill herself running, but she could injure herself with just a single trip. And Hatori was too exhausted to deal with any more injuries for one day.

"But you're..." Desare started to say bleeding when she noticed that it wasn't really him bleeding. "You're not..." no, it was someone elses blood. "It's someone else's...I, who?" her concerned eyes looked up at him.

"I am not at liberty to discuss my patients outside the practice vicinity. Sometimes a patient's blood will squirt rather than ooze out. Unfortunately I happened to be on the receding end of it."

Patient...blood...squirt...of course! It finally hit her like a ton of bricks. How could she be so stupid!? She let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, I thought it was your blood and you were in an accident."

"No. Your concern is not needed. Especially over something so trivial such as I." He told her, closing his car door and locking the vehicle.

She stepped back as he locked his car and frowned at his words. Did he really think so little of himself? Of course she would be concerned over him. He was her neighbour, and it was only natural for her to be concerned about those around her. "Well, I'm glad you're alright."

His green eyes show an element of surprise as he looked down at her and met a pair of warm green eyes. "I wouldn't be otherwise." He simply said, not really sure how to handle the situation at having a stranger be concerned over him. Realising just how cruelly cold he sounded to his own ears, he quickly said, "But, thank you for your concern, Desare. I apologise if I've startled you at some point."

Her eyes flickered from concern to happiness as his cold facade dropped to reassure her. "Oh no, that's quite alright. I should leave you in peace, seeing as how you just got back after a long day and all. I'm sure the last thing you need is to deal with an annoying girl." She cheerfully said, covering the small burdened feeling, knowing that she could be annoying the doctor when she didn't want them to start off on the wrong foot. She wanted to be his neighbour. His friend.

Hatori nodded slightly in agreement that she should leave him in peace. But it was for own health in this weather. "Yes. You shouldn't be out in the cold weather. The last thing I need is another patient." His lips curled up slightly in a small smile, he was lightly joking at the last statement he made.

She laughed lightly. "Of course. Good night Hatori." She waved him goodbye as she turned down the path that lead out of his Residence.

"Oh, Desare?" she turned at hearing his voice, noticing he stood slightly awkward as though he had something to say but was too hesitant to say it.

For Hatori, opening up like this was extremely hard for him to do. Giving another woman a compliment was something he hadn't done since Kana. Letting another woman in to melt the ice around his heart was also something he hadn't done since Kana. And yet, he felt as though he was 'compelled' by Desare. The atmosphere she brings to him makes him feel as though he doesn't have to hold back anymore.

"You're not...annoying." he finally said after a little while.

If her cheeks weren't pink from the cold already, they would have been pink from the good kind of embarrassment. She flashed a proper smile at him before turning to leave and walk back to her house.

Once inside, she closed the door and stood there. Staring at nothing in particular. Her hands were clasped together against her chest as Hatori's words echoed through her mind 'You're not annoying'. The corners of her lips turned into a small smile, which formed into a larger grin. It caused her heart to flutter so much that she couldn't do anything more except giggle to herself. It was a rather nice ending to the day. Worried she had got off on the wrong foot with him, only to find out she wasn't annoying to him. And have him stand there awkwardly to tell her so.

Needing to work on his game plan, Hatori watched as Desare made it safely inside her home. Call him old fashioned, he knew better than to expect danger lurking within the Sohma walls.

He knew if Ayame and Shigure ever found out about this moment, that the two would lecture him on how to properly pick up women.

Except he didn't want to 'pick up women', he just wanted to get to know one particular woman. And he wanted to do it on his own terms. Not through the perverted sense of his cousins.

Stepping inside the warmth of his residence, he switched the kettle on and made himself a hot cup of Green Tea before turning in for the night. He was too tired to eat, and had an early start tomorrow since it was back to his duties as physician. As much as he loved working at the hospital, it still drained him at the end of the day.

Akito watched the new tutor and her Doctor from her window. She didn't like what was unfolding before her eyes. She glared at the blonde woman for being so close to the God's Doctor. She frowned as Hatori watched in concern for the tutor. So this was how it was going to go down; a repeat of Kana.

No one will take her Dragon away. No one.


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNINGS:  
Minor - major trigger warnings in relation to child (sexual) abuse. Please don't read if it will trigger something for you.**

 **Author Note: This chapter is poorly written, I know. Apologies. READ & REVIEW my darlings xoxo**

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

6:00am and _BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!_ Came the vibration of the alarm that would awaken both doctor and tutor to begin their Monday morning.

The moment the Doctor was woken out of his slumber, he sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning and stretching his aching limbs before he got out of bed with ease and began choosing today's outfit. Hatori had no trouble getting up in the early hours of the morning. He was used to it, and he couldn't afford to be late for any appointments regardless of how tired he was.

Desare, on the other hand, was NOT a morning person. The minute her buzzing alarm woke her arm, she groaned and clumsily found the source of such noise and switched it off. It was still dark and yet they consider this 'morning'? May the Gods have mercy and strike her dead. She stayed in bed for another 5 minutes and groaned out of self pity. She really should get up. It was her meeting of Momiji today and she had to make a good first impression! She got up and let her feet drag herself to the bathroom. She lazily fumbled for the light switch, switching it on she groaned at the sudden brightness that hit her eyes, like unwanted sunlight to vampires.

Nope, not a morning at all.

Hatori was already showered, dressed and 'groomed' for the day. All that was left was his morning coffee. Walking down to the kitchen, he filled the kettle to the top and switched it on. He really needed to invest in a coffee maker, but then again he didn't have time for one either. Kettles were an easy fix. Coffee was boiled and made within 5 minutes. Long enough for Hatori to take a break from his work without falling behind schedule.

Not long after the kettle was switched on, it switched itself off signalling the end of successfully boiling the water. Filling his cup, he let the water and coffee grinds mix together before adding a small touch of milk. And done. He was ready to start the day.

He always got up a little earlier to watch the sunrise on his front porch as he drank his coffee before he began the day's activities. Doing just that, he opened the door and let the cool breeze hit him like a force. A cold wind for a cold heart. How fitting, the doctor thought with bitterness. He was soon pulled out of his thoughts as Desare's kitchen light came on and flooded his front porch in the small light.

She looked up to see the Doctor looking over at her and waved happily. Her eyes lit up and just seeing the man there. So far, the man was her first and only friend in Japan. Desare was about to making her morning coffee to help pull her out of her 'Zombie' mode before starting the day herself, when she looked out her window and saw Hatori standing there with his coffee. Waving to him, she stepped away from the window and walked outside. "You're up early." She greeted him cheerfully, walking from her front porch over to his.

"Perks of being a Doctor. Coffee?" he offered.

"I'm quite capable of making a simple coffee at home, thank you." She giggled as she threw his words back in his face. She watched as his lips turned up into a small smile and gave a light chuckle. It was the first time she had seen the man laugh – granted it wasn't a proper laugh, but she'd take what she can.

He heard his own words repeat in her answer and couldn't help but feel amused at it. Her laughing eyes matched her cheeky grin. He didn't fail to notice this. "Yes, I would like a coffee." She finally told him as he motioned with his full cup if she wanted one or not.

"Alright. Why don't you come inside out of the cold?" he offered as he turned to walk back inside with her following.

"Why were you outside this morning?" Desare asked with a wrinkle of her cold nose, knowing that it was probably already red from the cold. The only thing she hated about the cold was that it made her cheeks and nose red. The only thing she loved about the cold was that she could easily hide her blushes. Especially since the man before her was the one who unknowingly made her blush so easily.

"I like watching the sun rise." Came his simple answer. She waited for him to explain further, and when he didn't she was about to further question him only to be handed her cup of coffee. "Mm, thank you." She said as she wrapped her fingers around the warm cup and held it close to her chest, breathing in the beautiful smell of the first coffee. She took a sip and welcomed the warm liquid as it warmed her insides.

Standing in the kitchen, she wasn't sure if she should sit down or continue standing with him. Choosing neither option, she chose to continue to get answers out of him as it baffled her a little as to why a man, such as he, liked the small things in life such as Sunrises. "So why do you like Sunrises?"

Her question caught him off guard, and his shifted from staring out at the dark morning sky over to where Desare stood. "It doesn't matter how much darkness the night engulfs us, the sun will always rise and shine with hope; beginning a brand new day." He slowly told her.

If Desare wasn't holding Hatori's mug, she would have dropped it. She let his words slowly sink in. She knew too much darkness herself. Hatori had no idea how true his words rang to her.

 _"I'm lonely, Elaine." Desare's father had woken her in the early hours of the morning. It was still dark out. He often confused Desare with his dead wife's name. She understood her daddy was really sad for losing his wife._

 _"Would you like me to make you happy again, Daddy?" a young and innocent Desare had asked. Her dad had taught her how to make him happy so she knew what to do for him._

 _He smiled down at his daughter. "You're a good little girl." He said as he sat down at on the edge of her bed._

 _The young Desare got out of bed and walked over to him, knelt down in between his legs, her hands steadying her small body on his knees as she lowered herself down to kneel on the floor._

 _She looked up, seeking confirmation at what she was doing was correct. She was greeted with a small smile._

 _Her fingers found the buttons of her dads pants and she carefully unbuttoned them and unzipped his pants. Springing his already erect member free, her small hand clasped the throbbing member and began massaging him up and down. She leant over slightly and her small mouth was enough to engulf the head of his member. Her tongue swirling around the knob._

 _"Ahh..yes..." her dad moaned in pleasure. Seconds later, he came, leaving Desare to splutter and gag as she tried to swallow the sticky liquid. She could only do so much with her small mouth._

 _"That was good Elaine. Thank you. You always make it better." And with that, he walked out of the girl's bedroom and left her in peace._

 _She knew better than to cry. But she missed her mommy terribly. Tears were streaming down the small face of Desare as she knelt by her window and watched the sun come up. As soon as the sun's rays hit her window and lit up her room, she closed her eyes and welcomed the warmth._

"Desare?" he asked, noticing the sudden change in her mood. Her eyes had gone from laughter and wonder to downcast within a matter of mere seconds. "It's nothing." She smiled up at him, masking whatever emotion she was truly feeling. Having no idea that Hatori knew far too well about masking emotions and could see right through her fake smile. "Why don't we watch the sunrise together?" she asked.

Desare saw something flicker in his eyes. Was it pain? But it was soon masked by him accepting her offer. The two walked back outside, onto his front porch where they had a better view of the sun rising.

Even though Hatori knew Desare was lying, he didn't push for answers. He barely knew the girl and that's the way it should stay. It was dangerous to form a bond with any member of the Juunishi. They couldn't live a simple ordinary life until the curse was lifted.

Pain flashed in his eyes momentarily as he thought back to the consequences of having been so close to Kana. In the end, it was him being cursed that had ruined everything. He couldn't protect her against his own God.

"Oh look!" Desare pointed to the trees where the sun was just peeping over them, causing Hatori to snap out of his thoughts. He let the corner of his lips turn up into the faintest of all smiles. Each Sunrise was different to the rest, and each sight was a beauty to behold.

Once the sun perked itself above the trees, Desare turned to Hatori, "I can see why you like watching the Sunrise. It's quite pretty."

"You can join me again tomorrow, if you'd like?" Hatori offered before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth. He was about to take it back, making up an excuse about how he had an early hour appointment that morning but Desare's smile and the light in her eyes had stopped him from making any excuses.

"I'd love to!" Desare looked down at her watch to look at the time. 7:05am. She better start preparing her portfolio and materials for Momiji's meeting. "This was nice. Thank you Hatori."

"You're quite welcome." He simply said, as the both of them made their way back inside, depositing the dishes on the sink. "I'm meeting with Momiji and his father today so I better get ready." She waved him goodbye as she walked out of the kitchen and out of his residence.

Hatori now stood in the empty kitchen as he was, once again, alone with his thoughts.

What was he doing? Getting closer to a woman like that because she reminded him so much of Kana? That, in every way possible, was wrong. Was he letting his guard down because it was like he got his own Kana back? Or was it because he truly felt like he could smile and laugh again. Her presence seem to bring that out in him.

Without wasting another minute on his own personal thoughts, he walked over and shrugged his white doctors coat and proceeded to his office where he would work under the watchful eyes of his former love – Kana. A photo he couldn't bring himself to get rid of. He picked up his schedule and looked to see he had another day free of appointments. But that didn't match up to the recent research Hatori had been filling himself in on. He looked over the stack of books and papers ready for his brain to drink in the knowledge. He certainly wouldn't be taking a lunch break anytime soon.

Desare, on the other hand, had got her portfolio ready where the contents within were schedules, times sheets and examples of the extra curriculum activities that Momiji will be studying. With it all conveniently located in one folder, she placed it down on the table and gave herself a quick touch-up with makeup and make sure her hair was in place. She had to appear professional as she could, considering this was her first job.

Taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she moved away from the mirror, retrieved her portfolio and made her way outside. She looked down at the piece of paper that contained Momiji's address. "Number 4..." she slowly walked around the resident houses, successfully finding Momiji's house not too far up from the Main House itself.

Clearing her throat of any nervousness, she knocked on the door to be greeted by a small boy, whom she could only assume would be Momiji. "Ah! Hello. I'm Desare Bellamy. You must be Momiji Sohma?" she asked the small boy kindly. The blonde boy grinned up at her, "I am! It's so nice to finally meet you Ms Bellamy. Come on in. I'll fetch us some warm drinks!"

"Oh thank you. That's very kind of you Momiji." Desare gushed as she walked inside behind her soon-to-be student. She was amazed at his hospitality, having dreaded if she would end up with some punk-ass kid.

"I am to be meeting with your father as well. Is he not home?" she asked as she followed Momiji through the loungeroom and into the dining room. She couldn't help but look around and notice there were no photos of Momiji and his mother. Perhaps the woman had died? Desare let the thought flitter across her mind before Momiji pulled her back to reality.

"He sends his apologies. He got called into work at the last minute." The small child beamed up at Desare as he handed her a hot chocolate, it was the only thing Momiji could make.

"Thank you. That's alright, I understand. My neighbour is quite like that."

"Who's your neighbour?" Momiji asked as he sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for Desare to sit down too, "Please, have a seat!"

Placing her portfolio on the table, Desare sat down and answered Momiji's question. "Hatori Sohma." She simply said. She thought it was better to let Momiji question her for a little bit so the student could get to know her and feel comfortable around her. Nothing is worse than not having a good rapport between teach and student.

"Don't let Hatori scare you. He's like that with everyone." Momiji told her happily. The young child was glad that she didn't ask why. He would have been put on the spot, assuming she knew nothing about the Zodiac Curse so far.

Desare took a sip of her hot chocolate, placing the cup back on the table, she reached for her portfolio, looking through the contents. "Today is only a meeting so I can meet you and your father. And you can meet me. I can now tick that off my list." She pretended to be holding a pen and made an imaginary tick in the air, causing Momiji to giggle. She smiled at his laugh; how innocent and carefree it was. It was one of things she enjoyed hearing from children. Their laughter. "It's rather hard to make preparations without your father here, but we'll make do." Desare told the boy.

The rest of the afternoon, at Momiji's home, was discussing what time would suit Momiji better. Taking into consideration other after-school activities. And going over the material that he would learn, she explained to him how she broke down the material so it wouldn't be too much for him to take in after each lesson.

Hatori, spent the day keeping himself up to date with the latest medical research. Once lunch time rolled around, he had already begun developing aching knots in his shoulders from hunching over the paperwork. Standing up, he stretched out his muscles and took a much needed break and smoke.

He spent the afternoon, sitting on his back porch as he breathed in the much needed tobacco.

So he would be seeing Desare more often than he had imagined. He had to be careful around her and to not fall in love with her. It had become increasingly hard to do when she so much reminded him of Kana.

Kana had been his spring.

Leaning with his back on one of the posts, he looked back into his office and stared at her photograph. There was suddenly a burning feeling in his heart and his brows furrowed into a deep frown, as though he was fighting back tears. He never once blamed Kana for anything that had happened that fateful day; he just wished the circumstances were different, or that he had been strong enough himself to protect her more. It was HIS fault.

"Ha'ri?" a familiar voice called out, one that could only belong to the dog. Perfect timing.

Shigure entered through the back entrance only to find his cousin sitting quietly on the porch with Kana's picture. He smiled softly to himself. _He still has that picture..._ the dog thought to himself. "It's quite a change seeing you relaxing for once."

"Yes, quite." Came the cold reply. Shigure was used to this. Ever since Kana, the doctor had closed off on everything. It was hard at first but Shigure soon learnt that the longer you hold a conversation with his cousin, the less he becomes cold and soon drops his facade.

Shigure sat down next to Hatori, taking out a smoke of his own and joining his friend in this 'break'. "I went to visit Akito today." The dog said as a conversation starter.

Hatori glanced sideways at Shigure through the bangs of his green eyes, wondering why the dog was telling him this.

"It seems Akito has another reason for hiring the American woman." The Dog continued to tell him.

"Desare?" Hatori corrected him after Shigure referred her to as the 'American Woman'. Shigure didn't let that go amiss. Already had Hatori had coffee with her and now he was correcting the dog on the proper use of her name as if she was someone to be respected. It was in this moment the dogs suspicions had proved correct – the lonely dragon was harbouring feelings for this stranger. Not that the dog could blame him. Americans were hot! But there was the matter with Akito and worry over Hatori allowing himself to get hurt again.

"Mm-hmm. Akito could have chosen a male tutor for Momiji. But she didn't."

Shigure watched Hatori frown in thought, his eyes seeking answers in the melting snow on the ground beneath them.

 _It would make more sense for Akito to hire a male tutor. Should Momiji accidentally bump into said tutor, the young child wouldn't transform._ "Why risk hiring a female tutor if it will only put our secret at further risk of being discovered?" Hatori asked his final thoughts aloud.

"Kana." Came the single reply, and the dog watched Hatori's eyes widen as an unreadable expression came over his face. Was it pain mixed with anger? He had rarely ever seen the dragon angry. Annoyed - yes, but never angry. "A test of my loyalty?" Hatori eventually asked. Knowing that by requesting Kana and him to be married, Akito had seen it as Hatori being unfaithful to the God.

Shigure shrugged, "I have no idea. I wouldn't worry about Ha'ri. She's just bored."

Hatori went silent at this. Another one of the God's games.

And like a flick of a switch, Shigure's mood changed from mellow back to his perverted sense. "But Desare is kind of cute – in an innocent sort of way."

"Why is it whenever you open your mouth, it reeks of something illegal?" disapproving green eyes met puppy-dog eyes. "Awh! Not true Ha'ri!"

"Hatori! Shigure!" a young voice belonging to Momiji had called them, pulling them from their friendly banter. Hatori turned to the running rabbit. "Momiji, what have I told you about running?"

"To not! But Ha'ri, it's an emergency! Miss Bellamy fainted!" the rabbit whined out in between his panting as he tried to catch his breath.

Hatori wasted no time in heading back inside his office and retrieving his medical bag.

"Can you show us where Miss Bellamy fainted?" Shigure asked.

Momiji nodded. "Yes! Come on! Hurry!"

Hatori was the first one to arrive there and Shigure held Momiji back from getting in the way.

"Miss Bellamy?" Hatori asked as he checked her pulse and squeezed her hand, trying to get her to come around. "Desare?" he asked again. But when he received no confirmation that she was coming to, he looked up to Shigure. "It might be wise to bring her back to my office."

Her pulse and breathing was weak, which concerned Hatori and was the reason why he would rather administer the medicine and check her over completely in the privacy of his office. "Momiji, get my medical bag. 'Gure, grab her legs." Hatori ordered as they tried to pick her up as modestly as possible, Hatori had attempted to give her some dignity regardless of her unconscious state. It was extremely hard to carry her – not because she was heavy, quite the contrary! Given one single move and the curse would be triggered. It wasn't something Hatori was too keen on having exposed in the middle of a medical emergency.

Hatori and Shigure placed Desare on the clinic bed and Hatori began attaching an IV drip to her wrist. "Momiji, did anything happen to make Miss Bellamy faint?"

"No. We were just talking about my school work over a yummy Hot Chocolate!" the bunny happily said but his eyes soon turned back to worry over the still unconscious Desare.

"Did she say she was feeling sick?"

"No."

Hatori said nothing as he kept an eye on the IV drip.

"But she mentioned she didn't have breakfast. And we didn't have lunch either." Momiji said after a moment. Green eyes flashed over to his in a disapproving manner. This was one crucial detail that he had left out.

Hatori's green danced from Momiji to the clock on the wall. 4:30pm. She had gone without food for almost 20 hours, assuming she had at least dinner last night, if she wasn't used to not eating during the day, then of course she would keel over.

"Mngh.." Desare frowned at the sudden heaviness upon her. Frowning to herself, she tried to clear her head as she lifted a hand up to her forehead when she felt something on her wrist. She flicked her wrist quickly, trying to shake off whatever it was on her wrist.

"Please don't. It's there to help you." Said a familiar male voice as he took a hold of her flicking wrist in his. Familiar, yet she couldn't pick out who it was. Finally, her eyes shot open in panic from her grogginess. "What happened!? Where am I?"

"Don't even think about getting up." Hatori firmly told her as she started to sit up, but was stopped by Hatori's orders. "You fainted at Momiji's and you're currently in my office."

Momiji frowned up at the Doctor, "You know Ha'ri, you could try being a little nicer."

Hatori ignored his younger cousin as he grabbed his stethoscope from the bag and proceeded to check over Desare's heartbeat and breathing patterns.

Desare quietly complied, having already feeling embarrassed to not only faint in front of her student, but to also have been found in god knows what position by the handsome doctor! There was still a haze of fogginess that was slowly starting to clear in her mind, "What? No, no. He's quite the gentleman!" Desare quickly said, a small blush appearing on her face as she realised her words could be considered flirtatious when she was only trying to defend the man. Oh what a mess!

"That's right!" Shigure started, waving his hands dramatically in the air. "After all, Desare is a young lady and she should be handled with care like the beautiful flower she is!" Desare sat there quietly, not knowing what else to say. Her blush deepened with further embarrassment.

Shigure continued to talk, "And not in that rough-shot manner you treated me with last time!" he said in mock anger towards the doctor.

Desare focused on Hatori in order to keep her attention off of Shigure. She noted how Hatori didn't say anything to the man, completely ignoring him almost, yet he still focused on his job at treating his patient.

He pulled the stethoscope away and placed it back down in the medical bag. Her heart rate and pulse was still rather weak, which concerned Hatori, but he wasn't about to discuss this in front of others – let alone, a child.

"What do you mean? Did Ha'ri hurt you or something?" Momiji asked Shigure.

"Well, I can tell you he used the longest needle I have ever seen!" Shigure stretched out his arm to imitate the length of the needle, which was exaggeration at its finest.

"Shigure." Hatori warned his older cousin, as he retrieved the a needle from his medical bag and began filling it with contents that would help Desare to recuperate. It was a small dose of the same medicinal nutrients found in the IV drips that patients have inserted in their wrists at hospitals. Seeing as how Desare hasn't eaten, this was the next best thing.

Shigure pouted "And he lied to me! He said I wouldn't feel a thing. But I felt painful jab after painful jab."

"That's quite enough, Shigure. There's no need to scare Momiji or Desare." Hatori said before Shigure traumatised the young bunny of needles. Lifting the needle up to eye level, he flicked the contents a little.

"You be careful with that thing, alright? Don't hurt Miss Bellamy." Momiji said with an uncertain firmness to his tone.

Hatori dabbed an alcohol swab at her inner elbow before he held her arm in his hands and pushed the needle through the skin.

"It's okay. I don't feel a thing!" Desare said happily.

It was true, Desare didn't feel a thing, but that was because she was focusing on Hatori's touch. It was warm, gentle yet firm.

But Momiji wasn't convinced. "Really? Because Shigure says it hurts."

"Yes. Well I did that on purpose." Hatori said as he pulled the needle from Desare's elbow and pressed a cotton tissue against the small wound to avoid bleeding. Desare had to hold back a laugh at Hatori's blunt explanation over Shigure's traumatic experience with the Doctor.

"Why would you be so cruel?" Shigure asked from his corner.

"It seemed to be the only way to shut you up at the time." Came the second blunt answer. And this time Desare couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Momiji came around to her bed when Hatori had clipped his medical bag shut and moved away from the bed, and to the other side of his office where he began putting things away and pulling paperwork out, obviously compiling a medical chart for Desare, standard procedure.

"Ah, Ha'ri! You're killing me!" Shigure said as he followed Hatori to the other side of the room.

Desare watched with curious eyes at the two. Like an old married couple.

"Don't let those two bore you. They've been friends ever since they were little kids." Momiji said, interrupting Desare's thoughts. Well, that would explain why they were like an old married couple then! Desare giggled softly.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that Momiji." She gently apologised to the young child.

"That's okay! It was lucky that Ha'ri was here to help you!" The happy bunny said as he jumped up on the bed and sat on the edge. Yes, lucky indeed.

Hatori and Shigure walked back over to Desare. "You truly are a rose amongst the thorns of the Sohma men...!" Shigure outlandishly flirted, not having a care in the world whether it made Desare uncomfortable or not.

With her own personal past, it would be a lie to say it 'didn't' make her feel uncomfortable. But only the slightest.

"I-I-I..." Desare stammered to say something as her face heated up once more in embarrassment.

"It's best not to encourage him. He hasn't quite grown out of his infantile stage of development yet." Hatori firmly told her, though there was there was a miniscule hint of humour detected behind his voice. She smiled softly up at him.

"Awh! Ha'ri! Why are you so cruel!?"

Green eyes narrowed at Shigure's remark. "In any event, would you be so kind as to take Momiji home?" Hatori asked Shigure. Though it was more of an order than a polite request.

"Awh, but I want to stay with Miss Bellamy!" Momiji whined as he jumped off the clinic bed and stood by Shigure.

"Miss Bellamy needs her rest." Hatori firmly stated with the young child. He had a look that a father would give to a disobedient child.

"Okay." The young child pouted but looked over at Desare, "Get better okay? Take your medicine! Get plenty of rest!"

"You know,Momiji, you're very loud." Shigure pouted softly as he led the bunny away.

"I will. Thank you!" Desare waved goodbye to the bubbly young boy before she turned her head to the Doctor.

An awkward silence transpired between them as they were left alone in each other's company. Now what? It was close to dinner time and Desare shouldn't be in the Doctor's way.

Before she could think or say anything, Hatori broke the silence. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Momiji, for fear he would only worry. Your pulse and heartbeat are still quite weak, so I would like you to remain here overnight for observation. Is that alright?" he asked as he stood by her bed, looking at her.

Desare nodded, "You're the Doctor!" she said through a smile. Despite feeling quite hazy, she still managed to smile and remain happy. Though she was quite curious as to where she would be sleeping. Surely not on this clinic bed? It's more for examining patients then sleeping. And what about dinner? She couldn't starve. If she needed to stay overnight for observation, why doesn't he admit her to the hospital instead? She didn't dare voice her last question though in fear he would actually do it. She didn't mind the idea of spending a night with the handsome doctor. Maybe she could get to know her neighbour more?

"I'll prepare the guest room for you. In the mean time, please remain where you are. You still need bed rest for at least another hour." Hatori told her as he made to leave the room to set up the guest bedroom for her.

"No, please, I know you're a doctor and everything. But I'm totally fine." Desare said as she sat up and swung her feet off the bed. "I can't have you do everything for me. Please let me help."

She said as her feet touch the floor and she stood up.

But the moment she stood up, her legs wobbled and gave way under her weight. Being the somewhat klutz she is, she didn't think to hold onto the IV drip pole for support; having completely forgotten it was attached to her. She gasped and braced herself upon her falling. But something warm held her momentarily.

Before Hatori could stop her, the woman was already on her feet. He knew what was about to happen, and with his quick reflexes that he developed over the years of working in the Emergency Department, he was by her side within a second, catching her fall. Of course he didn't think it through thoroughly. 'He was a Doctor and his patient was about to fall', not 'he was cursed and the woman was a stranger'.

-POOF-

The doctor became the 8 centimetre seahorse beneath her. Desare's eyes widened as she held herself up by her hands to stop from crushing the Hatori Seahorse. "Hatori?" she asked as she moved so she was kneeling down. She yanked the drip from her wrist, a small amount of blood forming from the open wound. "Seahorse! Water! Saltwater? Oh my god? Which one is it? What do I do!?" Desare spazzed out in panic as she picked the Hatori Seahorse up and threw him in the bathtub where she filled it with water. "I-I'm going to get help, okay? You just wait there and don't move!" she commanded him like one would with a dog. Being in the form a seahorse meant that Hatori couldn't communicate verbally with her, he couldn't stop her from getting help.

Desare was already out the door and running down to Momiji's house. She didn't know who else to go to as she didn't _know_ anyone else. "Momiji!" she knocked quickly. "Momiji! It's Hatori! I need your help!" Honestly, what could a little kid do? Momiji was Hatori's cousin and that was all that was running through Desare's mind.

Momiji opened the door to find his teacher panicking "Miss Bellamy! You're all better!"

"Yes I am. Thank you." Desare quickly said. "Momiji, something serious has happened, and I need your help."

Momiji's face went from a beaming smile to concern, "What is it? Did Ha'ri do something?"

"What? No, no. Nothing like that. More that _I_ did something." Without wasting another minute, she took Momiji's hand and ran to Hatori's residence. Once inside, she shut the door behind them and led him to the bathroom. "I turned him into a seahorse!"

Momiji looked past his teacher to the bathtub, to see Hatori's form bobbing along the water. Momiji laughed, "You silly goose! You didn't turn Ha'ri in a seahorse! Well...you did in a way."

Desare looked down at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Come here." Momiji said as he took his teachers hand and led her out of the bathroom, closing the door to give Hatori some privacy when he turned back. He took her to the kitchen where they sat down at the table. Desare allowed him to lead her to the kitchen where she sat down and waited patiently for an explanation.

"You saw Hatori's a seahorse. I'm the bunny. Can you guess what we are?" Momiji playfully started. Desare shook her head, none of it made sense. "We're the animals of the chinese Zodiac! Our family's been cursed like this for generations. We transform into the twelve animals of the Zodiac. Oh, and the cat too!"

Desare knew of the story, including the cat, but she didn't remember a seahorse being present in the story. Of all the things to consider, it was the seahorse. Not the fact that the family was cursed and she discovered a major secret!

"I don't remember the seahorse being a part of the Zodiac." Desare slowly said, her eyes staring at the table as she slowly processed the information.

"Ah well, we think it's because the Curse is slowly weakening. Hatori's father, and his father before him, were the dragons. But Hatori was born the seahorse."

"'Sea dragon.', the derivative of the 'Dragon'." Desare muttered allowed, well that made sense. But it still didn't make any sense why he suddenly transformed.

"And when our bodies are under a lot of stress, or when we are hugged by the opposite gender...we transform..." Momiji continued.

Desare sat there in silence.

"See?" Momiji said as he got up and hugged Desare. And suddenly, Desare found herself holding a bunny to her chest. "Oh! Momiji. You're so cute!" Desare exclaimed, it was the first thing she thought.

If it had been anyone else, they probably wouldn't have taken the news lightly. It didn't bother Desare. It wasn't their fault that their family was cursed. It was just one of those things that happens. Momiji hopped off her and hopped over to his seat. "But when we transform back to our human selves, we're naked."

Desare had already thought as much, seeing as how Momiji's clothes were lying on the floor.

"So you talk?" she asked.

"Yep!" Momiji happily confirmed.

"Why couldn't Hatori talk?" she asked, ever so curious about him.

"I don't know. Perhaps being a water creature doesn't allow him to talk. But I bet if he was a Dragon, he could talk!"

Desare smiled softly. A dragon. Not a seahorse. Even if Hatori took the transformation of a seahorse, he was much suited to a dragon.

-POOF- and Momiji was back in his normal form. Desare quickly looked away before the smoke cleared as the young bunny quickly got back in his clothes.

"Did you know that Hatori can barely see out of his left eye?"

Pulled out of her thoughts, Desare shook her head, having not noticed that he was partially blind in one eye. She could help but admire him in that aspect. He hadn't mentioned that he was partially blind, and didn't seem to let it control his life. If Momiji hadn't told her, she would never have guessed.

"Ha'ri had a girlfriend once – Kana. She worked as his assistant for a while. And I remember she was really nice. When she found out about Ha'ri and the Zodiac and all; it didn't even bother her. She just laughed about it. They got engaged and they were going to get married, but when they told Akito...well, he got really, really angry and he said that he wasn't going to allow it. I guess his temper got out of control because that's when he hurt Ha'ri's eye. But Ha'ri didn't blame him though. And Kana – she blamed herself. She was convinced that Ha'ri getting hurt like that was all her fault. She couldn't forgive herself. And it gradually started to eat away at her inside. So, Ha'ri did the only thing he could do; he erased Kana's memories. He couldn't stand to watch her tear herself apart over him. So he made her forget that the two of them had ever been in love. Kana left. Ha'ri cried. And in spite of all of that, he never once blamed Akito."

Desare's brows furrowed together in a frown of confusion. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, because that's the curse. That's why I understand a little bit of what Ha'ri feels. He doesn't want anyone else to end up like Kana did. He doesn't want you to be hurt the same way she was."

When Momiji finished talking, she looked down and focused her attention on the tablecloth. All this time Hatori had been kind to her. It was like the old saying goes, _'Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.'_ And in Hatori keeping her at a cold distance, it wasn't because he didn't like her, it was because he was protecting her.

He truly deserved the title of the 'Dragon'. He was the dragon who served to protect the Princess.

But it wasn't Desare who needed kindness, Hatori was the one who deserved Kindness.

Tears welled up in Desare's eyes as she thought about what he had been through, and how much he had lost.

"Miss Bellamy? Are you alright? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry."

Momiji asked, his eyes full of concern for her.

"No it's not that." Desare quickly said. "It's just... Hatori is the one who deserves the most kindness in the world." She partially spoke her thoughts, knowing it probably wouldn't make sense to Momiji.

Momiji smiled softly. "Ha'ri will be alright." He said as he leapt off his chair and walked out of the house. Little did Desare realised that there was more truth behind Momiji's words than she first thought.

"I suggest you forget whatever it is Momiji told you." Hatori's cold voice made Desare jump in her seat as she turned to him. He was dressed in a simple polo shirt, more casual than in his business shirt, and he had a towel around his neck to catch any dripping water drops. Seeing him in a more casual state only made Desare admire him even more. However, as casual as his attire was, his manner was the very opposite.

"Does that mean you've forgotten? Kana, I mean?"

"I still speak to her from time to time, but that is all." He simply told her. Though his words were cold, his heart wasn't. And he still pined for their love that was now lost.

He sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table and turned his green eyes on hers.

"Even in the Sohma family itself, there are few who know our secret in regard to the Zodiac. It is exceedingly rare that an outsider such as yourself should come to learn of it. Ordinarily this would have been corrected at once. But thus far it seems Akito has made an exception in your case. There are many dark secrets within the house of Sohma. Life among us is not as pleasant as you seem to believe. An evil shadow looms over this family. That is the nature of our curse."

"Corrected?" Desare asked, not understanding what he meant by 'corrected'.

"I come from a long line of physicians who carry the 'memory suppression' technique. It was a role my Father handed down to me, and his father before him. And so on. It is only used when the Order is given."  
"And Akito gives the Order?"

Hatori nodded.

"And you made Kana forget her memories?" Desare asked softly, her eyes glistening with sorrowful tears for the man in front of her.

"It's not something I'm proud of doing, but it was a direct order." He told her coldly.

Desare shook her head, "No, that's not what I meant. You did the only thing you could do. It was a true act of love. You are the brave dragon." Desare softly told him.

Green eyes met green. He saw the admiration in her eyes and was disgusted with himself. There was nothing to admire about him.

And yet, Desare admired him so. There was so much to admire about him. Not only how handsome he is, but the way he quietly suffered himself without being a burden on his family. The way he protected his family. What was there not to admire?

"She worked as my assistant" Hatori began, suddenly finding himself opening up to Desare without realising it. She quietly sat there and listened to what he had to say. "It was the beginning of a beautiful dream. Being with her made me feel, for the first time in my life, as though I had been _allowed_ something. As though I had been _saved_ from something. I lost myself in the dream. And I laughed as never before. As though years of happiness had been compressed into each and every new moment we shared." His eyes were lost in his memories as though he was reciting this to himself. "But all dreams must end." He paused as he kept his emotions in check before continuing on. "As Kana and I asked Akito's permission to get married he lost his temper and the injury occurred, resulting in nearly losing sight in my left eye. Kana blamed herself. No matter what I said, No matter what I did, Each time I tried to console Kana she would just collapse into tears until, eventually, her grief began to consume her. In the past, even if I knew the pain and suffering it would cause, it was a burden I was forced to bear. I had no choice but to erase a person's memory once the order was given and so; I had to abide by Akito's order of erasing Kana's memories, so she wasn't troubled over me any longer."

His green eyes suddenly looked up to hers, lost. As though they were seeking answers, seeking help. "How could I know that by my hand, the person dearest to me, would also have their memories erased? The very memories we shared together." By now his voice had dipped to one of heartbreak. "She apologized for not protecting me...But I was the one who should have apologized. _I_ was the one who couldn't protect _her_..."

Small tears fell from Desare's green eyes before she could stop them. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth, hiding the sobs that were threatening to erupt and make themselves known. "I'm sorry." She apologised for her sudden breakdown.

Hatori frowned in concern, and before he could stop himself, he lifted a finger and gently wiped away her tears. "I made you cry...over something so trivial such as me..."

Hearing him called himself 'trivial' made Desare a little angry. Did the doctor not see himself as something more than that? Of course not, he was a man of modesty. He held his head high in times of suffering.

Pushing herself away from the table, Desare got up and walked over to Hatori. She placed her hands on either side of his head and pulled hers down to rest her forehead against his. Bold were her moves, it was a risk she was willing to take. In the small embrace that held caution from triggering the curse, Desare whispered, " _'Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.'_ You are a dragon; full of bravery. One who deserves kindness and love."

With that being said, she pulled back slightly to pull the towel over his head and began drying his wet hair.

Even though the towel hid his face from Desare's view, it didn't stop the tears that slowly fell down his cheeks. His hands came up and clung to the bottom of her shirt, clenching the material in his fists as he silently cried for what he had lost. It was the first time he felt as though he could share his pain with someone else. It felt as though, he was 'allowed' another chance at love, at happiness.

The next morning had proven to be awkward. More from Hatori's point of view. He had collapsed into tears in the arms of a stranger, he had shown weakness and vulnerability in front of her. Not only was it embarrassing for him, it would also have its consequences too. Especially if Akito found out.

Shigure had hinted that Akito was using Desare to test Hatori's loyalty. He had to keep the woman at a distance. To protect him, and to protect her. But how could he do that when Desare was reminding him every day to find beauty in the smallest of things?

As for Desare, she didn't mind in the least bit. Her heart warmed for him even more. And every day that passed, she found new ways to admire him even more. Until one day when she asked herself if she was actually falling for the man.

The night of Hatori's emotional breakdown was spoken of for the duration of the next week. Desare allowed the man to speak up about it the next morning, and when he didn't, she respected his wishes. Perhaps it was just something he's not ready to discuss further. She remained her cheerful self and tried to lift the dragon's spirits.

Every morning at 7:00am, they had their morning coffee out the front and watched the sunrise together before starting the day's activities.

Was this the beginning of a beautiful dream?


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 _ **Authors Note:**_

 _ **Wow I haven't updated since 2015! So much has happened in my life since then. But I now have time to finish this story after recovery from the worst writers block ever!**_

 _ **!Trigger Warnings!**_

 _ **If you suffer with PTSD and are easily triggered with events of indecent assault/PTSD, please do not read this chapter or continue on with the story. Unfortunately, I have been through this myself, but I am a survivor. So is Desare.**_

 _ **Please R & R. It REALLY helps me! Love ChaRose xxx **_

It had been a long day for Hatori at the Sohma Hospital. For such a prestigious hospital, they had been slightly understaffed for the past few weeks, leaving Hatori to pick up more shifts in order to maintain the Oath he took as Doctor; keeping his patients health his first priority.

He sometimes couldn't help but think that this was Akito's doing; not financing the hospital enough to keep more employees rostered on and therefore with Hatori spending more time at the hospital, he would likely spend less time with the newcomer. Would Akito really be so vindictive like this? To be honest, sometimes even Hatori could never read Akito properly. Their God was too unpredictable. However, this was a mere thought that crossed Hatori's mind. He would never utter it into existence as he would always stay loyal to Akito.

But that also didn't mean he wouldn't keep his distance on certain matters. He was, after all, one of the most level-headed members of the Zodiac.

Pulling into his driveway, he saw Desare walk over with a casserole dish in her hands. His spirits immediately lifted, as though the gruelling day at the Hospital never happened. How long it had been to be welcomed home by a woman. It was one of the most comforting things a man could experience.

Despite being quite weary himself, he found renewed energy as Desare smiled brightly in the twilight as she welcomed him back to the Estate. "Good evening Doctor Sohma!" she gently giggled. She couldn't help but be amused at how handsome Hatori was in his Doctor's coat.

"I've barely seen you for the past few weeks. I figured you've been quite busy with your patients so I thought I'd make some dinner for you. I can only imagine how hard you work and I'm sure the last thing you want to do is come home and cook." She rambled her explanation, lifting the casserole up in evidence.

Hatori smiled warmly down at her. "Thank you, Desare." He said, taking the casserole from her outstretched hands. "Oh I can carry it in for you if you want to get your medical bag?" Desare offered before she let go of the dish. Hatori lifted an eyebrow, almost in a playful manner, as though he was questioning her how she knew him so well in only under a few months of barely getting to know one another. She laughed softly, "I've never seen you without it. I swear it never leaves your side!"

"Quite right too." He murmured as he dropped his hand away, taking up on her offer for her to carry the casserole dish in while he grabbed his medical bag from the car and any loose files he needed to look over. Being a Friday night, he usually spent his time catching up on paperwork over the weekend alongside devoting his spare time to the Sohma family and their medical requirements. So having dinner on a Friday night was quite rare.

"Why don't you have dinner with me?" Hatori asked those words before he could stop himself. What was he thinking? This is exactly what Akito was being paranoid of! Not to mention the fact that he, himself, had purposefully built up walls around him; protecting himself from outsiders, yet here he was…letting her waltz right in.

Desare's eyes lit up at the offer as Hatori held the door for her to step through his home with the Casserole dish. Her heart began to beat fast and she ducked her face from view as she passed him, a small blush appearing on her cheeks at the prospect of having a dinner date with him. "Oh I would love to…" she started to agree but quickly – and stupidly – declined, out of respect for him, of course. "But you've had a long day. I'm sure you'll want to eat and go to bed. After all, a Doctor does need his rest too, you know!"

Hatori chuckled, she quite easily reminded him of Tohru. Another outsider that quickly warmed up to him. "It's either dinner with paperwork, or dinner with fine company. And I'd choose the latter."

Desare giggled as she watched him place his Medical bag and hospital files on entry hallway table, easily accessible in emergencies, "Well, if it's no trouble to you, then I'd be honoured to stay."

"Desare, the honour would be all mine." Hatori murmured as he walked over and took the dish from her hands, his fingers gently brushed against hers, making her blush even more.

"It's um..It's American-styled Teriyaki Chicken." She said, trying to regain her composure as she stood awkwardly in his kitchen, unsure what she ought to be doing and also trying to stay out of his way as he organised everything. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she eventually asked.

"No, but please take a seat." He offered as he closed the oven door after placing the Casserole dish in there to heat up, and he walked over and pulled a chair out from the table, offering it for her to sit down. "American-styled? What makes it different to the traditional Japanese?"

"Thank you." Desare murmured as she sat down, allowing Hatori to tuck her chair in behind her. "Honestly, there's not much difference except the sauce is more….American-y?" she visibly cringed at her explanation of the difference. She is in the company of someone who is the epitome of a gentleman with such a high-standing profession, and all she can come up with in a description is that the sauce was 'American-y'. Too embarrassed to look up at the doctor, she mentally scolded herself, _I'm such a freakin' dweeb!_

"May I offer you something to drink? Wine, perhaps?" Hatori offered, as he began collecting the cutlery and plates needed for the table.

' _Oh my god, I'm going to need something more stronger than wine!'_ she thought to herself.

Turning her attention to Hatori, she smiled, "Whichever you're having!"

Giving a small nod, he bent down to retrieve some red wine from his wine rack. Of course he had a wine rack. He was a man of dignity and class in both appearance and taste.

He poured two glasses of wine and gave one to Desare. He took a small sip before placing it down on the table and attending to the dinner that was already filling his house with such a homely smell. Completely different to the cold and sterile smell that would usually fill his house.

Desare, completely forgetting she had barely eaten at all that day, took a few quick mouthfuls of the fruity red liquid, welcoming the warm feeling it filled her with. "Mm! This is quite good! You have impeccable taste." She murmured, watching his every movement as he pulled the dish delicately from the oven and placed it gently on the bamboo placemat on the bench to avoid any burning to the surface.

"Thank you. I choose my wine quite diligently." He said nonchalantly as he began serving the American-styled Teriyaki Chicken onto individual plates.

"You strike me as the man who would enjoy wine tasting at wineries."

' _Wine tasting at wineries?' really Desare!? What else would one do at Wineries besides purchase wine! I really am so worthless compared to him!_ She mentally scolded herself as she took another mouthful, patiently waiting for him to serve food and sit down with her.

"Perhaps. If I had the luxury of spare time." This was, in no means, a dig at her. It was just unfortunate that one of the downfalls of being a Doctor was lack of free time; especially when he was always on-call at both the hospital and amongst the Sohma Estate.

"I'm sure you have your moments…" Desare offered lightly.

Hatori smiled softly as he brought the two plates around to the table, setting them lightly down in front of her and where he would be sitting.

"I do. But more often than not, I prefer to catch up on paperwork."

"That, is something I can definitely relate to. Between studies and tutoring…!"

The both of them chuckled over this mutual understanding of such a tedious task that accompanied their profession.

"This smells wonderful, Desare. Thank you for preparing such a beautiful meal."

"Oh don't compliment me just yet. You're opinion might change once you've tasted it."

"I highly doubt that."

"I beg to differ." She challenged back playfully.

He chuckled once more before taking a bite of the delicious smelling meal, knowing he was under the doubtful watching eye of Desare.

"This really is such an exquisite meal, Desare." Hatori sincerely complimented her cooking, his green eyes resting on her own green ones, showing nothing but humbling sincerity. Whereas hers were full of doubt at his words, but that doubt slowly disappeared as she realised he truly meant every word he spoke.

"My compliments to the chef."

Doubtful green eyes twinkled with laughter followed by the sweet sound of laughter from Desare, "I'll be sure to pass the message along!" she joked with him before adding on a more serious note, "Thank you, though." Her shoulders visibly relaxed a little more knowing he enjoyed what she made, and she happily took a bite of her own meal.

"How was your day today?" Hatori asked, showing keen interest in how her day actually was. He knew she tutored Momiji for a few hours after school on a daily basis, but could only hazard a guess as to what the rest of her day consisted of.

Desare's eyes widened with many mixed emotions coursing through her. How on earth could this man elicit so many emotions from her!? Turning her into puddles!

She did not expect any conversation at the dinner table; for them to be eating in peace. This was how it used to be for her: she could only speak at the table when spoken to. And to keep her answers short so as to not annoy her father. And she had rudely assumed that Hatori was the type of person who would rather enjoy a good meal than to idly chat and make small talk throughout it. However, even if it was small talk, he did seem generally interested in what he had asked.

She also felt guilty knowing that he would have had a busy stressful day at the hospital, and instead of asking him about it in polite courtesy, he was more interested in her boring day! What a rude houseguest she was!

"Desare?" Hatori enquired, concerned eyes lifting from his meal to study her silence, worried he had said something to offend her.

"Oh I'm sorry! I was just thinking how best to describe my day that would be entertaining to you." She quickly explained, covering those moments where she was lost in thought.

"I need not be entertained in such a way."

"Oh. Well… I'm sure my day is nothing in comparison to yours…" she started but indulged him nonetheless, "I continued with my studies this morning and then did some marking of Momiji's work before he turned up for this afternoon's tutoring session. And now here I am! Told you it was a boring day."

Hatori glanced up at her as she quickly added, "I mean, up until you invited me over for dinner. This part of my day isn't boring. I don't want you to think that!"

 _Oh shut up Desare!_

The male chuckled warmly. He found it somewhat adorable when she worked herself into a fluster.

"It sounds like you had a busy day."

"Oh I'm sure it was nothing compared to yours." She murmured forlornly. Knowing his profession was far more exciting and rewarding than hers. He saved lives after all! And what did she do? She was nothing more than a pencil pusher. No that she minded, of course. She found much joy in her work and loved what she did. But when she was in the presence of someone much more brilliant-minded than her…well, she could not help but feel a little overwhelmed.

And Hatori sensed this from the beginning. Hence the reason he wanted Desare to talk about her day, hopefully help her see the accomplishment she can make. It doesn't matter how big or small a task is, if it's been completed, than it should be seen as equal achievement as anything else.

"I barely managed to get an ounce of paperwork done. You, on the other hand, managed to study, complete paperwork and tutor an energetic teenager at the end of the day. And still found time to cook me a meal."

"But you save lives! That must be so exciting!" Desare cheerfully added, dismissing his genuine attempt to make her feel better about her lesser profession.

"It can be. Consequences and complications can follow. Sometimes the result isn't what I quite often expect either." Hatori's eyes suddenly went downcast as though you could visibly see him carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Desare could only assume that he had his fair share of patients dying on his watch. She couldn't imagine how one would be able to deal with that. "Still. It's quite admirable what you do." She warmly said with a soft smile. "I'm sure the Sohma's are honoured to have you as their doctor. I know I am."

Hatori hummed a soft chuckle, "No. _I'm_ the one who is honoured to have you as a patient. Being a teacher means keeping a level-head. I can't say I have many patients who hone that skill."

Desare blushed as Hatori easily found something to compliment her on. Dropping her gaze to her half-eaten plate, she took another mouthful as a comfortable hush fell in the adjacent kitchen/dining room.

It wasn't long before the two hand finished eating, "Thank you for the lovely meal Desare."

"You're quite welcome." Desare beamed shyly as she started collecting the cutlery and plates.

"No need to help. You're the guest." Hatori said as he took the dirty dishes from her hands.

Luckily there wasn't much to clean up as the two hadn't made a lot of mess.

Hatori took the half empty wine bottle and the two empty wine glasses and led the two back to the living room where they could sit comfortably on the couch and wind down from the day's activities.

Desare knew she shouldn't have more wine but it was rude of her to decline such an offer, and she was already in hitting the tipsy state that she wasn't thinking clearly. She had forgotten how hard wine can hit her. Being such a lightweight didn't help.

Pouring the wine, Hatori handed her now filled glass back and he sat back against the couch, taking a sip as he relaxed beneath the warmth that soon filled him. "What made you decide to be a tutor?" Hatori asked, turning his attention from his glass of wine to Desare.

Desare smiled warmly, "To help the younger generation, of course."

Naturally, there was an underlying reason behind it but she wasn't too keen on bringing that subject to light yet; nor was she drunk enough to be able to confide in him.

"It's an admirable profession." Hatori gently threw her own words back at her, earning him a snort of utter disbelief from her. "Hardly."

"A person of your profession requires dedication, care and patience. It's a mixture that not a lot of people can manage. You do it so flawlessly."

Desare merely smiled at this. If she continued to fight him, he would only retort with compliments to the point where she would have no fight left in her.

She sighed loudly, not meaning to, but it was the wine making her act so miserably.

"Is something wrong?" Hatori asked, frowning in concern. Was he lacking in company or conversation? Had he said something wrong? It had been so long since he had 'hosted' dinner etc. with another woman. It wouldn't surprise him if he was out of touch.

"No, no. Of course not." Desare said, staring at the red liquid that she was swirling around in her glass, using it to distract herself. However, the wine had other ideas in allowing her mouth to run before she could stop it. "It's just…I know what it's like to not have any academic help or encouragement. I know what it's like to be told that you're worthless and you're failing at life. I just don't want children to go through that hardship…" Desare trailed off, frowning at her glass as her eyes clouded with pain that Hatori immediately recognised. After all, he had experienced the same pain – just under different circumstances.

The cheeriness that made Desare who she was, was gone. An unrecognisable Desare now sat in beside him.

Placing his wine glass on the coffee table in front of them, Hatori turned so that he could look at her directly, giving her his undivided attention. Forearms resting on his knees, hands clasped elegantly together, Hatori gently asked, "What happened Desare?"

Shaking her head, her blonde curls softly swaying from side to side from the movement, Hatori thought she would refuse to answer him (understandably so) but she brokenly answered, "Because I was a nobody. Nobody special. Just worthless. Unwanted. Unloved."

Hatori sat there silently, watching her – studying her, understanding her while she sighed as she drank the rest of her wine and laughed bitterly, "I loved my Daddy. But I don't know what I did wrong."

Hatori's eyes narrowed in concern at hearing just where this conversation was heading.  
"I – when my Mom died, I tried to be there for him. I tried. I really did. But I don't think…"

Desare trailed off again as she started breathing heavily at recalling the events and looking back at how wrong it all was when she thought it was perfectly normal for any household to go through it. "It got worse. Nothing I was doing was good enough. I tried to be more like Mom because that's what he…" her voice hitched a little as she took a moment to regain herself, "what he wanted." She finished the sentence. "The only time he ever seemed happy was when…when..." her breath hitched and the dam in her eyes finally broke as tears came flooding down, she was already too lost in the moment of recalling such events, "Oh god. Why? What did I do wrong? Why couldn't he love me? Am I too ugly? Am I not loveable?"

Hatori had stayed quiet the entire time she was telling her story, whilst it was vague at some moments, he knew exactly what it was she hadn't said. Her father had taken advantage of her to make himself feel better. It was wrong. And it should never happen. Not to her, not to anyone.

He watched as tears fell down her cheeks, the moment when she broke was the moment he stepped in, placing a hand over her clenched ones, "No, Desare, you did absolutely nothing wrong. What _he_ did was wrong. What happened to you should never have happened in the first place. And for that, I am truly sorry."

"Don't apologize. 'S'not your fault." Desare mumbled, thick with tears.

"It's not yours either." Hatori murmured firmly.

Desare squeezed his hand in comfort, and Hatori squeezed back in response.

"To go through something like that and become the strong woman you are today…is remarkable. You ought to be proud of how far you've come. I know I am. I admire you, Desare. Not only for your kindness and your patience, but for your strength too."

Hatori never took his eyes off of hers, even when she broke eye contact with him to drop her head, letting her blonde curls obscure her face from view and she wept quietly. The only evidence from her silently crying was the shake of her shoulders and the muffled sound of her holding back her sobs.

With one hand holding hers, Hatori placed his other hand gently on her back and caressed the fabric of her shirt softly in comfort. He couldn't hug her in her time of need because of the curse, so this was the only comfort he could offer. "You're okay, Desare. You're safe now." Hatori murmured slowly in a calming tone, "…It's alright…"

Eventually Desare calmed down, "I'm sorry." She said and then laughed softly, this time without bitterness, "You don't need to deal with my burdens on top of your own. God, I'm so selfish!" the last thought was usually said mentally, however, being drunk on wine made her speak her thoughts before she had a chance to stop herself.

Hatori chuckled quietly, "You're not. And don't ever apologise."

"Hmm." Desare hummed in part agreement. She tilted her head back, her curls falling back to reveal pink cheeks and a nose from crying, her eyes shut and a small smile on her face. She was already growing weary from the intoxicated state she was in.

"You're so kind." She randomly said after a moments' silence.

"Hmm" Hatori hummed in the same manner she had, making her giggle.

"And you're funny."

Hatori merely smiled at that statement. Oh other people would tell her differently.

"And you're cute too!"

Raising an eyebrow, Hatori looked at her, studying her eyes through now half-open eyes that were looking back at him. Her eyes were well and truly glassed over. "Cute butt. Butt."

"I think you're drunk." Hatori gently responded. _'And you're going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow morning.'_ He thought to himself.

"Pshhh. Drunk skunk." Desare immaturely tried to say 'drunk sch-munk'

"A statement I couldn't agree with more." Hatori said, to which he earned a very immature tongue sticking out at him. Chuckling softly, he stood up off the couch to get her some water to help hydrate her body before she slept alcohol off. There was no way in hell she was going to get home on her own tonight without the risk of bumping into him with her stumbling about like a drunk woman and causing his curse to trigger. Nor could he carry her either, so the only logical thing to do was let her crash on his couch. He would prefer she slept on the guest bed, but without the assistance of someone else, he would not be able to carry her on his own.

By the time he came back, she was already curled up into a tight little ball, almost in the sense that she was subconsciously protecting her body. An action of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Hatori was not at all surprised she would be suffering from such trauma. He left the glass of water on the coffee table and retrieved a couple of aspirin from his medical bag and placed it next to her glass for when she woke up in the morning.

Grabbing a throw rug, he draped it gently over her before walking to the linen closet and retrieving a thicker blanket and a pillow. He placed the pillow on the floor near her head so if she woke in the middle of the night for whatever reason, she had something more comfortable to sleep on, and he draped the thicker blanket over her for extra warmth.

He sighed softly as he glanced down gently at her.

' _What are you doing Hatori?'_ He asked himself as he wearily rubbed his face. The fatigue from a busy day and evening now creeping up on him and stinging at the corners of his eyes. _'Don't get involved with her. Wasn't that the first rule you established with yourself?'_ He mentally scolded himself in question as he quietly walked out of the living room and switched the light off, plunging the room in darkness. _'And here you are. Practically doing the courtship dance that Seahorses do!'_

Hatori went straight to bed that night. Normally he'd be up doing paperwork to unwind but exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks. And finding himself with conflicted emotions didn't help the fatigue either.

Desare woke to a sunny room that announced her splitting headache. She groaned an unnatural sound as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch. Pushing her bushy uncombed blonde hair out of her face, she looked around the unfamiliar room as memories from last night came flooding in. She sighed and groaned again as she looked up to the ceiling for answers. "Oh I done goofed it. I done goofed it big time." She muttered annoyingly to herself before tearing her gaze from the ceiling and letting it land on the coffee table in front of her. Water and two aspirin tablets lie waiting for her. She smiled softly. Either it was Hatori being the Doctor he was, or the kind hearted person he was, to leave the hangover remedies out for her. Or perhaps it was the best of both worlds? Who knows.

She took a mouthful of water and gulped down the tablets, hoping that they would come into affect relatively soon.

So what now? Does she do the walk of shame back to her house? Does she seek Hatori out and thank him for his lovely hospitality and apologise for her terrible company? Is he even up yet?

The sound of coffee percolating caught her attention and she looked towards the kitchen with him standing by the kitchen sink, looking out the window. Of course he was up. _'Oh god! Oh god! Ohgodohgodohgodohgod!_ Desare's mind went into a frantic panic as to what the hell she's meant to do! Does she say good morning? Apologise? Thank him? She even looks like an utter mess! Her hair all bushy and sticking upwards and sideways, makeup smudged no doubt! Urgh. The stuff of nightmares.

The sound of Desare shuffling about in the living room caught Hatori's attention and he turned his gaze from outside to over where Desare was. "Good morning Desare." He greeted her, walking over to her with an already prepared hot cup of coffee for her.

"Mmm'G'morn-ing." She muttered, still trying to wake herself up. A morning bird, she was not, as Hatori is only just finding out.

"Am I right to assume you're not an early riser?" Hatori playfully enquired.

"Am I right to assume you are?" she replied equally, a bit more peppier knowing there wasn't any awkwardness between the two. She had made a wonderful friendship with this gentleman, and she didn't want to ruin it in any way.

"Perhaps. How are you feeling?" he asked, studying her in a concerned manner.

"Awful. And not just from the wine." She replied, sighing, knowing she owed him a better explanation than just a mere breakdown last night.

"What do you mean?" Hatori asked, sitting on the couch beside her, angled so that he could study her properly. Apart from the usual signs of a hangover, she didn't seem too unwell.

"I was terrible company last night. I had no right to just dump an emotional baggage on you when you have your own burdens that are worse than mine to deal with."

Hatori shook his head slightly, "You weren't terrible company, Desare."

"And I owe you an explanation - "

"You don't need to explain yourself."

"No, I do. I was 5 years old when my Mom died. I can barely remember her, but what I do remember was her warmth and her gentleness. I miss her so much, Hatori. So much." Tears began to sting at the corner of Desare's eyes but she blinked them back, refusing to have another breakdown again. She smiled gently at nothing in particular as she recalled a few memories, "I know I'm the splitting image of my Mom." But her smile disappeared and her tone dropped from being laced with nostalgia to solemn, "I guess that's why my Dad always got me confused. He would always call me by my Mom's name and teach me how Mom used to make him happy… I guess he was so caught up in his grief that he eventually saw me as my Mom. It wasn't until a year ago that I realised I had enough sense to finally realise this was wrong and enough money to move my education and life overseas and start afresh. Hatori, he did things to me…many nights, for years… things that I don't think I could ever open up about."

Once again, Hatori quietly listened, not interrupting her, allowing her to tell her story.

"Have you told the authorities?"

Desare shook her head. "I can't…bring myself to…"

Hatori nodded, understanding. "My only professional advice is that I strongly suggest you talk to someone about this. If and when you feel you are ready to."

"I spoke to you last night, didn't I?" she smiled shyly, reaching for her coffee – having forgotten about it.

Hatori gave her a small smile, "…if you count slurred speech as 'talking' then yes you did." He lightly joked, earning a playful scoff from her. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, I am always here, regardless of the hour. Either as a friend or from a medical standpoint." Hatori offered.

She smiled warmly at him, her eyes twinkling with unshed tears from past pain mixed with renewed kindness that he was, unknowingly, installing back into her. "Thank you, Hatori. You're quite the gentleman."

It wasn't often that someone could make Hatori feel flustered, but he couldn't help but feel the heat coil in his stomach and rise to his cheeks.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying their morning coffee and reflecting quietly on the recent events that have taken place between them. Hatori, thinking about what Desare had been through and the secrets she carries and will probably always keep hidden deep within her, her PTSD that hasn't been brought up. Hatori could only hazard a guess she suffers with nightmares, anxiety and sleep disorders. However, it wasn't his place to bring the subject to light nor did he want to trigger any more negativity for her. She knew he was a Doctor and knew she could come to him if need be.  
Desare, was still mentally fuming about her behaviour last night and how embarrassed she was. Hatori, being such a gentleman throughout it all, had been nothing but patient and understanding with her. She couldn't believe it. Most men would go running for the hills with the kind of psychological baggage she carried with her… but then again, Hatori had his own fair share of personal emotional scarring and then carrying everyone else's burdens too. Hers now added to that growing list.

As the two sat silently together, lost in their own thought, they also thought about their conflicting emotions towards each other. Both wanting to keep distance out of respect for one another but something just keeps pulling them together.

And after last night, Hatori now feels the need to protect her despite wanting to keep her at arms length.


End file.
